Field clover

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Field clover
Field clover (Trifolium campestre)

Field clover ( Trifolium campestre )

Systematics
Order : Fabales (Fabales)
Family : Legumes (Fabaceae)
Subfamily : Butterflies (Faboideae)
Genre : Clover ( trifolium )
Section : Chronosemium
Type : Field clover
Scientific name
Trifolium campestre
Schreb.

The field-clover ( Trifolium campestre ) is a plant from the genus clover ( Trifolium ) in the subfamily of Schmetterlingsblütler (Faboideae) within the family of the Leguminosae (Fabaceae or Leguminosae). It is mainly distributed from Europe to West Asia and North Africa.

description

Illustration from Flora Batava , Volume 7, 1830
Stem with leaves and inflorescence. The middle leaflet is stalked much longer than the lateral ones. The stipules are shorter than the leaf stalk.
Flower with a spoon-shaped, clearly longitudinally furrowed flag.
Infructescence: the petals dry up and turn reddish-brown, but do not fall off.
Open flower with ovary and style. The style is at most a third as long as the ovary.

The field clover is very variable in terms of habit , flower shape and flower color.

The field clover is an annual , herbaceous plant that usually reaches heights of 15 to 30 cm. The stem is erect to prostrate. The alternate leaves are divided into a petiole and a leaf blade. The petiole is 6 to 20 mm long. The leaf blade is pinnate in three parts. The individual leaflets are obovate, truncated or marginalized, with the middle stalked much longer than the two lateral ones. The stipules are egg-shaped, widened at the base and usually shorter than the petiole.

The flowering time is mainly in the months of June to September. 20 to 40 flowers are in a more or less egg-shaped, head-shaped , racemose inflorescence , which usually has a diameter of 7 to 12 mm. The hermaphrodite flowers are zygomorphic and five-fold with a double flower envelope . The five 1 to 3 mm long sepals are fused. Some of the five petals have grown together. The 4 to 6 mm long crown has the typical shape of a butterfly flower , is initially yellow and turns yellow-brown as it fades. The shuttle has a pointed beak. The flag is boneless and curved like a shell, but not folded.

The legume is 1 to 2 mm long and 0.5 to 1 mm wide.

The number of chromosomes is 2n = 14.

ecology

The field clover is a therophyte and a pioneer plant . The yellow flowers are "butterfly flowers with a folding mechanism". You have areas that absorb ultraviolet light and areas that reflect it. As a result, they have a two-tone effect on the flower visitors. Pollinators are honey bees , flies and butterflies . Spontaneous self-pollination is also successful. After pollination , the large flag lowers and closes the flower entrance.

The fruits are single-seeded little nuts that are surrounded by the permanent, brownish, parchment-like corolla. This corolla acts as a flight organ through the inclusion of air. The diaspores are spread as balloon fliers and rainworms . Random spread by ungulates is also possible. Fruit ripening takes place from July to August.

Occurrence

The area of Trifolium campestre extends from North Africa in the south to Great Britain and southern Fennoscandia in the north; further east to Ukraine , the Caucasus , Uzbekistan , Iran and Asia Minor ; there is an isolated occurrence in East Africa . The field clover occurs mainly in southern Central Europe .

It is locally absent in Central Europe in areas with lime-poor rock; in the Central European lowlands and in the Alpine foothills it is absent in larger areas; otherwise it occurs scattered in Central Europe . The field clover is widespread in Germany and can usually be found frequently. In Austria, the field clover is common in some areas, but rarely in some areas. In Switzerland, the field clover is common in the northern area, otherwise it is scattered or rarely found.

The field clover populates in Central Europe gravel , gappy, sandy lawns, lime-poor grasslands, sand fields, wayside and forest edges, embankments, it also goes in poor meadows, pastures and in fields. In the Alps it rises occasionally to over 1800 meters. In the Allgäu Alps in Bavaria, at the foot of the Breitenberg near Pfronten , it rises to an altitude of 1000 meters.

The field clover is considered a good fodder plant in poor meadows .

The field clover thrives best on warm, dry, base-rich, calcareous or not too acidic soils that can be sandy, stony or loamy. He avoids nitrogen-rich underground.

According to Ellenberg , it is a light plant, indicating low -nitrogen locations and a class of character of loose sand and rock grass (Sedo-Scleranthetea). It sometimes occurs in societies of the Mesobromion Association or in dry-warm Arrhenatherion societies. It is a species of the Thero-Brachypodietea class in the Mediterranean region.

use

The field clover is a valuable fodder plant that is sometimes planted. It is also an important soil improver, by enriching poor soils with nitrogen compounds . It is a good bee pasture and it can also be used to enrich our park and garden lawns.

swell

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora for Germany and neighboring areas . 8th edition. Verlag Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8001-3131-5 . Page 592.
  2. ^ Oskar Sebald, Siegmund Seybold, Georg Philippi (ed.): The fern and flowering plants of Baden-Württemberg. Volume 3: Special part (Spermatophyta, subclass Rosidae): Droseraceae to Fabaceae. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart 1992, ISBN 3-8001-3314-8 .
  3. ↑ a b c Dietmar Aichele, Heinz-Werner Schwegler: The flowering plants of Central Europe . 2nd Edition. tape 2 : Yew family to butterfly family . Franckh-Kosmos, Stuttgart 2000, ISBN 3-440-08048-X .
  4. ↑ Erhard Dörr, Wolfgang Lippert : Flora of the Allgäu and its surroundings. Volume 2, IHW, Eching 2004, ISBN 3-930167-61-1 , p. 126.

literature

  • Henning Haeupler, Thomas Muer: picture atlas of the fern and flowering plants of Germany . Ed .: Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (=  The fern and flowering plants of Germany . Volume 2 ). Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 2000, ISBN 3-8001-3364-4 .
  • Wolfgang Adler, Karl Oswald, Raimund Fischer: Excursion flora of Austria . Ed .: Manfred A. Fischer. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart / Vienna 1994, ISBN 3-8001-3461-6 .
  • Christian Heitz: School and excursion flora for Switzerland. Taking into account the border areas. Identification book for wild growing vascular plants . Founded by August Binz. 18th completely revised and expanded edition. Schwabe & Co., Basel 1986, ISBN 3-7965-0832-4 .
  • Erich Oberdorfer : Plant-sociological excursion flora . With the collaboration of Theo Müller. 6th, revised and expanded edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1990, ISBN 3-8001-3454-3 .
  • Konrad von Weihe (ed.): Illustrated flora. Germany and neighboring areas. Vascular cryptogams and flowering plants . Founded by August Garcke. 23rd edition. Paul Parey, Berlin / Hamburg 1972, ISBN 3-489-68034-0 .
  • Heinz Ellenberg : Vegetation of Central Europe with the Alps in an ecological, dynamic and historical perspective (=  UTB for science. Large series . Volume 8104 ). 5th, heavily changed and improved edition. Eugen Ulmer, Stuttgart (Hohenheim) 1996, ISBN 3-8252-8104-3 .
  • Ruprecht Düll , Herfried Kutzelnigg : Pocket dictionary of plants in Germany. A botanical-ecological excursion companion to the most important species . 6th, completely revised edition. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2005, ISBN 3-494-01397-7 .
  • Siegmund Seybold (Ed.): Schmeil-Fitschen. Interactive flora of Germany. Seeing - determining - knowing. The key to the flora . CD-ROM, version 2.0. Quelle & Meyer, Wiebelsheim 2004, ISBN 3-494-01368-3 .
  • Margot Spohn, Marianne Golte-Bechtle: What is blooming there? The encyclopedia: over 1000 flowering plants from Central Europe. Kosmos, Stuttgart 2005, ISBN 3-440-10326-9 .

Web links

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